Potentially, the most important aspect of any website is its SEO efforts. Without a proper SEO strategy, your website will never be found by visitors as it will never appear in search results. Luckily you can change this by using free SEO tools.
These tools are designed to help improve your search ranking by using the known criteria search engines like Google look for. That said, not even these tools or SEO experts actually know everything about the algorithm.
As such, SEO does often come down to guesswork and luck. Yet, without a doubt, using a dedicated SEO tool will yield better results.
Today, we will take a look at the best free SEO tools you can use to improve your website’s rankings.
What Is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Search engine optimization, or SEO for short, is the process of optimizing your website to display content the way search engines prefer. However, instead of search engines providing clear guidelines for what they are looking for, it’s a guessing game.
No seriously, it really is a guessing game. They provide the bare minimum when it comes to how rankings are displayed. This is because they want to reduce the chances of people trying to game the system with bad practices.
Thus, it is up to content creators to figure out what works best. And as a result, SEO tools have been designed based on information collected by thousands of websites to provide you with tips to optimize.
And to be perfectly clear, while there are multiple search engines in the world, the only one you should be focused on is Google. It dominates virtually every country in terms of search volume. Today, it accounts for 84.08% of the search engine market share.
It’s also safe to assume that if you optimize for Google, you optimize for all search engines. And as you are about to see, Google itself provides a variety of free SEO tools to help you optimize.
1. Google Keyword Planner
If you are looking for help finding keywords for your next blog, look no further than the Google Keyword Planner. Keywords are an essential part of SEO because they are the terms that visitors look for in search engines.
And as such, there’s no better option than Google itself when it comes to keyword research.
Luckily, the Keyword Planner is simple to use. You can search for individual keywords or some that are related to your website. The information you can view includes the frequency the keyword is searched for, how searches change over time, and even the competition you can expect.
Most notable is the inclusion of an advertisement budget. This is in the form of a “Suggested Bid,” and its purpose is to provide a rough estimate of how many results the keyword is likely to bring up.
With that said, this estimate is based on Google searches and does not take into account your website’s social media efforts.
Pros of Google Keyword Planner
- Provides keyword information to help you pick out the most profitable option
- Did I mention it’s free?
- There is no limit on the number of keywords you can research
Cons of Google Keyword Planner
- Limited visible list of keyword suggestions
- Big difference between actual search volume and estimation
2. Yoast SEO
When it comes to free on-page SEO tools, there is no bigger name than Yoast SEO in the WordPress community. It is a comprehensive tool that provides SEO tips and helps improve the readability of your content for actual visitors.
After all, it’s easy to forget that the content is actually for real people.
On the SEO front, Yoast provides a variety of tips like keeping track of keyword usage, reminders to fill in the meta description, tracking the number of outbound and internal links, image alt attributes, and title width of your post to name a few.
It also helps you increase the readability of content by displaying the percentage of passive sentences, the Flesch reading score, catching consecutive sentences, checking the length of sentences, and more. All of these tips for both SEO and readability happen in real-time.
Pros of Yoast SEO
- Provides simple and effective SEO tips while writing
- Checks the readability of your content to make sure visitors can enjoy it
- All of the tips are in real-time
Cons of Yoast SEO
- Has trouble understanding intent
- Reading tips can sometimes mislead you
3. Ahrefs Broken Link Checker
Ahrefs Broken Link Checker is an excellent choice if you want to rid your website of broken links. Broken links can significantly hurt your rankings if search engine bots continuously find them, and that’s something you want to avoid.
Thus you need a tool that can check your entire website in a matter of seconds.
After all, websites that have been around for years likely have thousands of links, which means manually checking them on a daily basis is out of the question. This tool allows you to enter your website’s URL or any for that matter, and in seconds you can view broken links.
While the free version is a great starting point, the premium version has a variety of filtering options. You can search between internal or external links, the type of broken link, and much more. These options are ideal for larger websites.
Pros of Ahrefs Broken Link Checker
- View all broken links in a matter of seconds
- Locate both internal and external broken links
- Filtering options help big sites
Cons of Ahrefs Broken Link Checker
- Rankings data can sometimes be incorrect
- Sometimes competitor notifications are false
4. Google Search Console
The Google Search Console (formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools) is a free service to help website owners track technical problems that hurt their website’s rankings. Google will analyze and tell you exactly what your website is doing wrong.
And trust me, you are going to want tips directly from Google.
This includes being able to see your website’s performance for specific keywords over the last 16 months, a URL inspection tool, the ability to directly upload a sitemap to Google (you no longer have to wait for the bots), and mobile usability tracking tools.
It is important to note that almost every major search engine has a similar service. While I am mentioning Google Search Console, you may want to also take a look at others like the Bing Webmaster Tools. These tools are tailored for the specific search engine.
Pros of Google Search Console
- Optimization tips directly from Google
- Checks the mobile usability of your website
- Upload sitemaps directly to Google for fast results
Cons of Google Search Console
- Lacks real-time data
- Struggles with low-traffic sites
5. XML Sitemaps
XML Sitemaps is one of the best free SEO tools with over 2 million active installs. It focuses exclusively on generating a sitemap that can help search engine bots crawl through your website. It works on search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Ask.com.
Everything the plugin does is automatic, so it doesn’t get any easier.
A sitemap is exactly what it sounds like, a map of your website. It contains a list of pages within a domain and search engines can use it to crawl through a website. This will ensure that the bots crawl through the pages you want them to and speeds up the indexing process.
In fact, you can speed up the process even faster by uploading your sitemap on the Google Search Console. For new websites it could take anywhere from four days to four weeks before a search bot crawls through your content. Providing a sitemap to Google speeds it up tremendously.
Pros of XML Sitemaps
- Provides Sitemaps compatible with multiple search engines
- The plugin does all the work, simply install it and press the button
- Helps search bots navigate your website
Cons of XML Sitemaps
- No reminder when you need to make a new sitemap after serious changes
6. Google My Business
If you own a business that only operates locally, optimizing your local SEO is critical for success. And Google My Business was designed with this thought in mind. This free service helps you customize how your business appears in both searches and on Google Maps.
And trust me, local businesses need all the help they can get.
I guarantee you have been taking this feature for granted as a user. If you’ve ever done a “stores near me” search on Google, you will see a list and Google map showing the location of stores that match your search.
As a result, it’s one of the most powerful SEO tools for local businesses.
This allows customers to find the location, business hours, the website for ordering online (essential for restaurants), phone number, and customer reviews.
All of this information is added via the Google My Business service. Again similar services are available for other search engines like Bing Places for Business.
Pros of Google My Business
- Tremendously helps your local SEO
- Helps customers find your business with Google Maps
- Makes your phone number visible in searches
Cons of Google My Business
- Bad reviews can cause customers to avoid you
- Can sometimes take time for the information to update
7. GTmetrix
Speed plays an important role in both the visitor experience and your rankings. In fact, it’s one of the very few confirmed factors Google uses in its rankings. GTmetrix can help you determine how fast your website is loading.
And it provides tips to help you improve your speed.
This tool provides an enormous amount of data that you can use to troubleshoot your pages. It provides a letter score based on the structure and performance of the website and how long it takes for various pages and elements to load.
For instance, if you have a very large media file like a banner on your homepage that takes too long to load, the tool will make you aware of that. By using the troubleshooting tips it provides, you can shave load time with minimal work.
And there’s even a free version available.
Pros of GTmetrix
- Provides numerous statistics about your website’s load speeds
- Find out what’s slowing your load times
- Compare your website speeds against the average
Cons of GTmetrix
- Performance reports can sometimes take several minutes to generate
- Some errors do not have clear instructions to fix them
8. AlsoAsked
To this day, one of the most common ways people use search engines is to ask questions. And answering common questions is a surefire way to rank higher, but how do you figure out what questions to answer?
One way is to use the AlsoAsked.
This free SEO tool allows you to enter a keyword and pull up the frequently asked questions you would find on search engines like Google. It provides this in an easy-to-understand form.
The proper way to use this tool is to look at the questions it pulls up and try to answer these questions in your writing naturally. This will ensure that your post will appear in searches when that question is asked.
Pros of AlsoAsked
- Pulls up over a dozen different questions
- Shows which questions are more popular
- Search in different countries
Cons of AlsoAsked
- The monthly fee can get expensive after the free version runs out
- No dedicated app
9. Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest is an amazing SEO tool that gives you limited access to its features for free. You might also recognize the owner, Neil Patel. He is one of the best online marketers in the business, and this tool is a perfect match for his brand.
So what can you do with Ubersuggest?
There are two main ways to use the tool for free. The first is to enter the keyword you are looking for. It will show you the search volume and other information about the term. The second is to search for a domain.
The domain search will show you how much organic traffic you get, the number of backlinks, your domain authority, keywords rankings, and much more.
With that said, you are only allowed to get three searches a day for free, so make the best of it.
Pros of Ubersuggest
- Backlink data is robust and makes it easy to see what websites you should approach
- Find new content ideas based on keyword data and search volume
- You can use the tool to check out how other domain names are performing
Cons of Ubersuggest
- Difficult to find niche market data
- The mobile layout leaves a lot to be desired
10. SEO Analysis & Website Review by WooRank
The SEO Analysis & Website Review by WooRank is an amazing SEO tool that comes in the form of a Google Chrome extension. This tool analyzes your website and provides a score.
More importantly, it tells you exactly how to fix the problems it detects on your website.
It does this in a really innovative way. Once the tool is done analyzing and provides a report it will also provide a checklist you can use to solve each problem it detected.
This is a big departure from the tools that just tell you the problems, but leave out the most important bit…how to fix them.
Pros of SEO Analysis & Website Review
- Shows which problems should be a higher priority to fix
- Website reviews always use the latest data
- Can be used to analyze the competition
Cons of SEO Analysis & Website Review
- Marks not having an analytical tool as an error
- Sometimes requires multiple-page refreshes to work
11. Mobile Friendly Test By Google
Perhaps one of the biggest changes to occur in SEO was Google’s “Mobile First” indexing change. For those unaware, Google will load all pages using the mobile view first. This ensures that mobile users get the best experience, as their number has surpassed desktop users.
Luckily, Google has many free SEO tools, and the Mobile-Friendly test is one of the most useful.
The tool itself is easy to use. Just enter the URL of the website you want to test, and after a minute, the tool will provide if the website is mobile-friendly or not. If everything loads correctly, you are good to go.
If not, you will receive a message indicating so, with some helpful resources. What makes this tool extremely useful is that this is an actual Google search bot. You are getting the results straight from the horse’s mouth.
Pros of Mobile-Friendly Test
- The tool is extremely easy to use
- You can choose to enter the URL or manually enter the code for any page you are working on
- Provides insights on how to improve the mobile experience
Cons of Mobile-Friendly Test
- Lacks details on how to fix issues
- Only considers Google and not other search engines
12. SEO Panel
A great addition to the best SEO tools available is a platform called SEO Panel. What makes this particular platform unique is the fact that it is the only one on our list that is open-source and totally free to use.
It can be accessed using the cloud, or users can get download it for free and install it on a Mac or Windows computer. It is compatible with either.
The fact that it is totally free is always nice. However, don’t let the fact that it is free deter you from trying it out. The product actually has a ton of great features that can help improve your SEO rankings.
The features provided are comparable to any other SEO tools on this list. It is a great tool if you are looking to get into SEO for free, and it offers a very easy-to-use dashboard option.
Pros of Using SEO Panel
- Check keyword ranking and targeted keywords
- Auto-submit sites to directories
- Check on social media details
Cons of SEO Panel
- Lacks quality resources
- Requires additional SEO tools to support it
13. Keyworddit
Reddit is one of the most popular websites out there that has a subreddit for just about anything and everything you can imagine. This makes it one of the best places to see what a specific community is talking about.
That’s where the Keyworddit tool comes into play.
So, how does this tool actually work? Well, you just type in the name of the subreddit you want the tool to analyze. Once it is done scanning that subreddit, it will generate a list of keywords based on its scan.
This is particularly useful for niches. You see, Reddit has become a melting pot for smaller communities to gather around. This makes it a valuable resource for websites to study and you can create content based on what’s hot in a specific topic.
Pros of Using Keyworddit
- View the monthly search volume
- View where the search results are coming from
- Easily export the results to Excel or Google Sheets
Cons of Using Keyworddit
- Sometimes it fails to find any keywords
- Struggles with smaller subreddits
14. Google Trends
One of the biggest problems when it comes to SEO is thinking long-term. In fact, many argue that you can’t really plan out too far in advance. Otherwise, you risk missing out on popular trends.
That’s where the Google Trends tool comes into play and can help you view interest in topics over multiple years.
Now, you may be asking yourself, how does that help you figure out when something will be popular again? Well, it can give you an idea about how often certain terms perform strongly during specific seasons.
This can give you an edge in trying to anticipate when something will start trending again. And being able to beat the competition can be a major boost for SEO if your content gets shared a lot.
Pros of Google Trends
- Allows you to control how wide of a search you perform
- Helps avoid creating content for topics that are declining
- View related topics to what you are searching for
- Export the results into a CSV file
Cons of Google Trends
- Related topics are not very always related
15. Rank Math
Rank Math is another one of the best free SEO tools that your website can take advantage of. It can save you a lot of time by filling in many of your content metadata fields that many people forget.
Or, in some cases, are just too lazy to do it.
This tool was made for beginners and is on display right from the beginning with an excellent setup wizard to get you started. Once this is done, Rank Math starts scanning your site and recommends certain settings based on what it finds.
When writing content, you can view a real-time rating of your content. The higher the score, the better it will rank. It provides tips on how you can increase that ranking. For instance, if you have images, but didn’t add ALT text, the tool will tell you.
Pros of Rank Math
- View analytics directly on your website
- View your sitemap status
- Use the Rank Tracker to determine your website rank for keywords
Cons of Rank Math
- There’s a lot of information to unpack on the screen
- Integration with AMP isn’t great
16. Smush
Smush is one of the best free SEO tools for WordPress. It focuses on compressing the size of your images without impacting their quality of them, which can significantly speed up your website.
What does this have to do with SEO? Well, speed is one of the primary factors a search engine uses to rank your site.
And when it comes to speeding up a website, images just happen to be the number one reason why many websites run sluggishly. They can end up being very big files if you do not optimize them. Smush does this when you upload them to your site.
It also implements lazy loading, which is a technique in which images are only loaded when they are viewable by the user. This means if you have an image on the bottom of the page, it won’t slow down the initial loading of the page when it isn’t visible.
Pros of Smush
- No daily limits on the number of images you can compress
- Set a max width and height for images to be resized
- Optimize your entire media library
Cons of Smush
- WebP files are only compressible with the Pro version
- Initial compression can take a long time
17. ChatGPT
Closing out this list might be the newest tool out there, ChatGPT. Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably already know that it is an AI that can do a lot of things depending on what the user asks of it.
While the results may vary wildly and are far from perfect, you can also use them to aid your SEO efforts.
For example, you could ask ChatGPT to come up with catchy titles for specific keywords. Or perhaps you could ask it to identify what keyword a competitor’s page is ranking for. The door is wide open.
Obviously, we are still in the early days of AI, so the results you get may vary wildly here, thus don’t rely too heavily on it. But there is no doubt that AI will play a major role in SEO efforts going forward as the technology improves.
Pros of ChatGPT
- Generate code snippets for your website
- Use it to create titles for your content
- Ask it to find you what topics are trending
Cons of ChatGPT
- Results may vary wildly
- Fails to understand complicated requests
Use Multiple SEO Tools for Free
As you can see there is a great variety of free SEO tools you can choose from in the WordPress ecosystem. Some focus on finding keywords while others focus on the way content is written, and there are many other types of tools.
The biggest mistake you can make is limiting yourself to one tool because each one offers its own benefits.
Getting opinions from multiple sources is ideal in the SEO world, after all, the rules are constantly changing. Not every tool updates at the same speed, and that could cost you if it’s the one you rely on.
I highly recommend utilizing an analytical tool, a keyword research tool, and an on-page SEO tool, like Yoast SEO. Utilizing these three types of tools in conjunction with one another will help tremendously, and there is no real disadvantage.
And since many SEO tools are free, you don’t lose anything by trying multiple of them.
Content Matters
While many websites spend a tremendous amount of time writing to please Google, it’s important to remember that the content your write is for people. Even if you rank highly, the traffic you gain won’t last long if they start actively avoiding your posts.
This happens often to websites that regularly produce low-effort content or use clickbait titles to draw in visitors. High-quality content is what makes successful websites, and SEO is how they are found.
Thus, even if you have the best SEO ranking, it will only result in a short-term gain.
What free SEO tools do you use to boost your website’s rankings?
Thank you for sharing. I used these tools before and amazing,
Thanks for reading.
Ahrefs is now free for your own domains (if you verify them)